Her tiny hands struggled to push the round white button, barely two centimeters across, through the hole. I had been watching her for fifteen minutes.
She was working with the large buttoning frame, one of the Montessori materials where children practice fastening and unfastening buttons on their own.
It looks like a picture frame, about 20×30 cm, but instead of a photo it holds a piece of fabric with five buttons down the front.
I could see three buttons still to go. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes locked on the button, willing it open. She was completely undisturbed by the other children around her.
Part of me worried she wouldn’t manage it, that she’d tire of trying. I felt the urge to step in and help, but I held back. I wasn’t going to break her concentration.
Right now she was completely absorbed, enjoying every bit of what she was doing. All of her attention was on that frame. She wasn’t looking for help.
I believed, in that moment, that she was sure she could do it herself.
I often hear parents tell me their children can’t sit still when working on something. Or that they get bored quickly and never finish what they start.
In parenting workshops, I always explain that strong concentration in a child can only come through proper practice, without interruption.
We adults spend so much time teaching children the names of things, letters, numbers, and so on, but we never actually train them to concentrate.
The ability to concentrate well is something children truly need in order to learn at school.
When parents and teachers don’t understand this, it often creates tension during learning time.
For example, when children can’t focus on a lesson, we may assume they’re lazy, unwilling to learn, or simply not very bright. Once that happens, learning stops being enjoyable, for the parents, the teachers, and most of all for the children.
And yet we all know that a joyful learning environment is what helps children truly understand.
I glanced around the classroom. The other children were absorbed in their own work, as usual.
Slowly, I stood up, careful not to disturb her.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw the wide smile spreading across her face, her eyes shining with satisfaction. She had done it. I smiled too.
I felt relieved, happy, and proud of her all at once.
She looked up at me with shining eyes and a smile that kept growing. I smiled back and gave her a nod.
I walked away, leaving her with that pride still glowing on her face.
Go make as many successes as you can: today, tomorrow, and the day after that…
“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”
- Maria Montessori
Joyful Montessori has been recognized as one of the “Most Recommended Montessori Schools in Indonesia” by Twinkl, a UK-based global educational publisher.
